Utah tight end Kendrick Moeai catches a touchdown pass Wednesday night during the second quarter of the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, beating California linebacker Michael Mohamed on the play. Utah has won nine consecutive bowl games.

SAN DIEGO — Jordan Wynn threw for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns to rally No. 23 Utah from an early two-touchdown deficit to a 37-27 victory over California in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night.

The Utes scored 27 straight points to win their ninth straight bowl game, the longest current streak in the country and tied for the second-longest ever. Florida State won 11 straight from 1985-96 and Southern California won nine in a row from 1923-45.

“It’s the work ethic of our players,” coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We don’t have any secret, magic way of practicing for bowl games. It’s how our guys go about their business. It’s their work ethic and focus. They understand a bowl game is a reward for a good season but also a chance to win another ballgame.”

Utah’s victory gave the Mountain West Conference a 3-0 start to the postseason, including bowl wins by Wyoming and Brigham Young.

California, in a bowl game for the seventh straight year, had its four-game postseason winning streak snapped.

“We didn’t come into this game overconfident,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “That’s a good football team there. I don’t know what the perception is throughout, but we give them a lot of respect. They did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage.”

Wynn, a true freshman who originally committed to Colorado, improved to 3-0 at Qualcomm Stadium, including two section championships while the starter at suburban Oceanside High. He graduated last December and enrolled at Utah in January, allowing him to participate in spring ball.

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